Seasons at the Brink
by Namiya
Summary: Continuation of Blindfolded by Memories. While life seems less than simple for the auburn haired youth, he seems to enjoy the gig. But is it all he makes it to be? A Street Fighter universe, King of Fighters and Darkstalkers crossover. Ch. 2 is Up
1. Prologue

**Seasons at The Brink  
**

* * *

Well, just when you think it was over. That you could finally catch a rest. When you least expect it(just like crabs), it's time to kick back... and then some. Yes, I know. Worst. Introduction. Ever.

I constantly find myself amazed that I return to write about this seemingly simple character that is the wandering warrior. Yes, there are a few angles this guy offers, but nothing seemingly out of the ordinary. One of the things I've noticed is how people are getting 'in touch' with past faves. While nothing really against it, I have come to dislike nostalgia. At least the kind that is daily banquet for the senses in our general culture nowadays. They say people often find inspiration in the strangest places.

Well, given my limited skills with so many damn languages, I hope I can accomplish something worthwhile. This fic is the sequel to "Blindfolded by Memories". And while it does continue where Blindfolded left off, I feel the story can stand on its own. Of course, if you find yourself wondering what kind of narcotics was I downing when I came up with this thing, feel welcome to check back that insult to spelling and grammar.

All SF, RS and DS characters are property of the mighty CAPCOM; KOF dudes and dudettes go to the SNK/Playmore camp. For more info on the original characters and some other odds and ends, check my profile. With all the trite introductions out of the way, let's crack this bitch open.

* * *

**Prologue**

Sunday 11:00 P.M.

There's no easy way to describe this.

Yet, I can picture it perfectly: My head lays on the ground, along, of course, with the rest of my body, and while I can't feel any grass, this surface is soft, vaguely similar to an open field. A slender frame lies on top of me. While the figure is undoubtedly human, I am not familiar with such body. I—I don't k—wait…

Was that just now the realization of me losing the plot altogether? Guess it wouldn't sound out of the question. But at this point of my life, I find myself hard-pressed to look for the simpler, "saner" things... yeah, not gonna happen.

So many things have changed in the last 5 years. You could say it sounds stupid, or even clichéd. Believe me: A part of me would readily give you the time of day in such matters.

A simple goal is nothing to be ashamed of. Even more so if it helps you retain your sanity unscathed. During these past years, I've found a balance. Not something to be ostentatious about, mind you. But I did find this stable frame of thought. It required a certain working ethic. And while not the hardest working man in the business of life, I've never had any prior difficulties when it came to the task of pulling my own weight.

An old adage read that the hardest thing to let go of is something you never even had to beg--

"Dammit, man!" A voice growls, seemingly unsatisfied.

"Now what?" I ask, while dropping the pencil over my worn out notebook.

"What? If you could snap out of it, you would realize how half-assed your cut-ups are coming together"

Once I took a closer look into my notes, it hit me. Lame indeed.

"... Oh, sorry" A verbal thrashing awaits after that apology.

"Okay, what's bugging you now?" … well, maybe not.

"This internal monologue... I—I don't know what to make of it" Yeah, huge discovery there.

"Remain focused, then!" He lashes out at me.

"It's not because I want to, okay? This thing is hard"

He sighed. I'm supposed that he has already grown tired of my poor attempts at brainstorming for lyrics.

"Fine. I guess we can call it a day on this subject" He said, while standing up. "The music's ace, though, so don't worry too much" This, along with the slight pat on the back he gave me, made me felt a bit better.

"Thank you, Yagami" I stood up and, before I left the room, I remembered something... "Oh, and what did ever happen to the Entrance Examination Scores?"

"I... uh, I'm checking the results tomorrow" Quickly afterwards, he pretty much fled towards his room.

Little over 2 months before New Year's Day, Yagami had gone and decided to take the Entrance Exams for Geidai. Yes, I know: A suicidal mission. But I can't just back down on him. It's been two years since I've been living with him and, while not freeloading, the fee for the rent he charges me is fairly low. Also, his 'condition' has notoriously improved. Progress has been made slowly. And while not always pleasant, the atonement for the missteps committed by his ancestors has been almost completely fulfilled.

Nonetheless, it feels like something is missing. And the inability to put my finger in it annoys the hell out of me. Ignoring this thought for a moment, I quickly bend over to reach for the notebook. I need to get some sleep, for tomorrow is yet another big day.

After pulling my futon and arranging it in a proper manner, I proceed to take this damn hoodie off and lay my frame inside of my primitive resting device.

The floor is cold. Yes, somewhat comfy, but still cold.

------------------------------------------------------

Monday 4:00 A.M.

Beep-Beep-Beep...! Beep-Beep-Beep! BEEEEP!

Sometimes living off campus can be something of a drag. My involuntary grunting describes this situation perfectly. Removing the top of the futon constitutes a feat in itself. A minute later, I find myself watching the mighty stubble of doom that has entrapped most of the lower regions of my face. I quickly splash it. After appearing to be a bit more human, it's time to start my exercise routine...

...Need some warming up first, though. Good thing I've slept in my shorts. After grabbing some sleeveless shirt, I finally get into action.

After all these years, it still amazes me the response my body has to calisthenics. When done correctly, it invokes a feeling similar to what a machine would hypothetically feel when their grips and cogs are tightened. It allows the body much less restraints, enabling to push the envelope further.

Okay, now for something else...

While training, something about the scenario outside of the house reminds me of my early years. Not because of the location, or the landscape, for that matter... Meguro is incredibly different from Kyoto. Yet, for all purposes, this peaceful scenario reminds me a little bit of the Area around the palace. It's been well over a decade since I've been there. In truth, I kind of miss it.

'Everybody wants, somewhere! somewhere!'

What the hell? Ugh, no. No! I like that song...! No, bad subconscious. BAD, bad subconscious!

'Everybody wants somewhere...'

Oh great, now I'm not gonna be able to get that song out of my head. This is why humming a song to the rhythm of your jogging can be a bad thing.

After my third lap around Green Hill, I realize it's almost 5 o' clock. My cue to get back to the house. On my way back, I start to notice an augmented number of peasants on the sidewalk. I guess this is where the similarities between Kyoto and Meguro end.

Living around this zone can be quite trying at times, but once you're exposed repeatedly to the overall atmosphere of the most centric wards, you kinda get used to it... or you go mental.

On my way in, I notice Iori, in all of his zombified glory.

"Morning, Yagami" I greet him as earnestly as I can.

His grunting response still gets to me. It is honestly hard to stifle even the slightest chuckle.

------------------------------------------------------

A shower, shaving and change of clothes later...

"So, ready?" I ask, while I kneeled to tie a knot on my left shoe. When I turn my look up, his eyes exchange a stare with mine. Is he mad? He's been wearing the same clothes since yesterday, so I'll just take the safe route and assume he's good to go.

"The mere fact that you wake up as if some drill sergeant was going to arm-lock you is an insult to everything that stands true to a musician" That did it. It's impossible to maintain a straight face to such a silly response. As a result, I chuckle, even if only for a bit.

"Funny, I thought drama queens were something a Talent would do" His normally blank stare switched to that of a person showing an honest-to-goodness displeased expression.

"... Shut up, English Man" He retorts, a bit frustrated.

"Come on, it's almost time"

"I'm hip. Let's go"

After a few minutes of silence...

"The thing that baffles me the most is not how you keep these crazy schedules..." He yawns a little, thus interrupting his insightful critique of what has become my daily routine. "... but how on earth you decided it would be adequate to kick it up a notch?"

"Well, do you really want to do this Live DVD?"

"Well, yes"

"And do you wish to maintain your powers in check?"

"Also, yes"

"Then stop complaining" Silence follows my retort for a good chunk of a minute. When I throw a look to his side, I realize why.

"How very humble of you" He comments, while removing his newly lit cigarette off his mouth.

"I know that you're dying to use those air quotes. Please fight that urge, and remember, you need to check your test scores at Geidai"

"Roger" He said, with an overtly militaristic tone. Yes, the National Socialist salute was a bit much. "Uh, what are you gonna do after your classes are over?"

"I know that I have a bit of practice to catch up on, Yagami. But this assistant job is paying the bills"

"Not very steadily, I might add"

"That's a lie. I've been paying on time for almost a year"

"Yeah, but what about the finer things in life? I need those!"

"I believe you can go through life just fine without any sexually willing females or mind altering substances"

"Says you" Oh, great. He had to do it. He couldn't help himself. Whatever. I stopped my march for a moment, just as he did. A duel of stares ensued.

For a moment there, I swore things have gotten a bit too weird, especially since the amount of people avoiding us had only grown. Then--

"HA Ha!" His dried laughter made it obvious.

"Oh, you—!" Inside joke on Yagami's part. You wouldn't get it. Besides, it's kinda dumb. "You love to psyche people out, don't you?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact I do" He commented. A few more nonsensical ramblings later, we realized we had arrived to the train station.

"So..."

"Yeah. This is where we diverge. Remember, you need to transfer and get down on Ueno, okay?"

"Yes, mom" Oh, that does it.

POK!

"OW! What the hell?" I hope I slapped him hard enough.

"You were the one who convinced me to let my hair grow long"

"I joke, okay? You look fine. Just don't let her do your ponytail... ever again. It's quite scary"

"I know..." At the sound of those words, we shuddered.

We eventually snap out of it. You know, the growing crowd at the station might be a defining factor.

"Well, later" He discreetly raises his hand, with both his middle and index finger protruding above the rest.

"Bye"

Moments after I see Yagami leave, I reach for the far left pocket of my back pack. I guess I've acquired quite a few habits while living with him. I mean, wouldn't a portable media player be more efficient? Yet here I am, about to use the CD walkman he gave me last year. Checking that a Disc is already inside, I close the top, put the CD player back in the pocket and place the ear-buds on.

Blip!

The moments following me pushing the play button, this barrage of sounds spurt out. The beat starts off fairly slow, and one of the guitars has this grandiose sound. Suggesting that maybe a guitar was not the original choice to voice that figure.

But it does go with the whole picture. Then, some strange sounding whispers emerge, giving the song a creepier quality so far. Meanwhile, I reach out for my wallet. Darn it, where is it? Oh, there.

After swapping my rail card and going through the gate, I take a quick glimpse of the clock. Still on good time. The platform looks empty. One of the perks of getting up early, I suppose. Finally, the vocals come in.

The voice reminds me a lot of what Iori does when we cover bands of this style. Not that I particularly enjoy listening to such a harsh kind of vocals for extended periods, but when done right, it can be quite a spectacle. That noise seems to indicate that the train has arrived. Just in case, I remove one of the ear-buds to confirm it.

The vocals continue its assault against a relentless and, frankly, quite catchy background of instruments. When the doors of the passenger car open, I take a backwards step. Surprised that no one exited it, I enter. The train resumes its march shortly after.

------------------------------------------------------

A few minutes later.

While I am quite enveloped by the music poured into my ears, I do notice a particular thing. Two girls have been keeping their eyes on me. I guess it's the damn hair. And while not quite as fiery as Yagami's, I suppose that, with its size, it actually stands out. Maybe I should give them the time of day.

As I look towards them, I offer a smile. God, I hope it doesn't look weird. Looks like it came out ok. They're seem to be giggling and gossiping. Wait, they're walking-- crap, they're coming over this direction! Be cool, be cool. They barely look 15-- what are you thinking? G'ah!

"Are you a foreigner?" The taller of the two asks, in an acceptable English. Ah, I see.

"Uh... no. Not really" I retort, in the best English I can speak at this height of the day.

"But your--"

"It's the hair, isn't it?" I interrupt them. If I wanted to stand out, obviously letting my hair long was the poor man's choice to do so.

"Your skin is a bit paler as well"

"Oh, I had not noticed that before" If somebody took my tone off my mouth… man, I tell you, I could use a lit bit of fresh fruit to wake my neurons.

I might think I went overboard with such a delivery. They both stared at me madly. Were they about to lambaste me?

"That wasn't very nice" Not quite.

"Right. I'm sorry... I'm a wee tired" I wasn't, but I had to make something up. To that effect, I closed my eye-lids and proceeded to rub them. "Not really used to talk to people this early in the morni--" I was about to continue, until, I heard them gasp. Now what?

"Hey-- that emblem" I don't have anything against being pointed at, but it's not among the things I enjoy about daily life..

"Uh, what about it"

"Y-- you--"

"Yes, I am a student from THAT University..." This was getting tedious, to say the least. After noticing the next stop, the feeling of the train stopping its march came as a sign of relief. Todaimae.

"Well, good making your acquaintances" I said, while preparing to go off the car.

"Wait!" Of course I was not going to have any of it. Now that I've gone one hundred percent jerk with these girls, I'm not about to lose my stop. I still have to prep two classes, one as A.T. and the other as student. And well, I go off and then, dew--

--are you kidding me? Is this to spite me?

No, don't lose your temper. You're not like that. Pretend you didn't take notice, and just go on about your own business, like you do on every other school day.

Oh, just in case you're recently joining, two girls have been following me since I got off the train; might as well ignore them. Yeah, nice pla--

RUN FOR IT!

"Matte kud--! Honto desu" They're still following me? Crap! Oh, I'm almost there-- quickly! Full-speed! Go-for-broke! NOW!

A good 20 seconds later, I look over my left shoulder. No track of those two. To follow me all the way to my School. Such nerve!

"Senpai! Daijobu?" I'd recognize that voice anywhere.

"E…? Un" After I attempted to remove off my forehead what little perspiration I've forced my body to generate, I nodded in response.

"So, is the whole class ready?"

"Well, almost. Only two students left"

"Fine. Might as well start already. Tell the others to get their stuff and I'll meet you there in 3 minutes. Same class-room, same amount of time as we did last Monday"

"Okay!" And he proceeds to go on his way. Good guy. A little too solemn at times, though. But that's your average Letters undergrad for you. Yeah, I'm one to talk.

------------------------------------------------------

Said 3 Minutes later.

We're all gathered in the room I had reserved since last week. To begin our lecture on Occidental Ethical Thoughts.

"Well, good morning, fellow students. This is our third session, out of eight. I know most of you need the extra credit, but also remember that, more than anything, this class is focused on giving you the ability to put this knowledge into work, whether it be for the more immediate nature, like the last term exam or in the long run… or so I've been told. I might be--"

"WAIT!"

A voice resonates from the door. I back away from the Whiteboard for a mome—oh, this is rich. Appalling sound more fitting actually. If you stop munching whatever crap you're stuffing your mouth with, you can clearly hear the sound of my jaw dropping.

"You two again?" Now calm down, nothing is worth your altered tone. Perhaps a face-palm is in order…? Most definitely. "You never give up, do you?" I reiterate what's pretty obvious to my whole class.

"Well, maybe you should have awaited for us to introduce ourselves!" Oh, I see what they did there. It's their turn to act all undignified. Good times.

"O—kay. You would have to excuse me if I found myself reluctant to await your introduction, but I seldom consider a passenger car the appropriate place to do such thing…" A sigh I had not planned then allowed me to pause. Maybe I should just apologize for being rude. "… Then again, I could have been more patient. So: if you must" I added, before performing a simple hand gesture. Hey, all in the name of knowledge, right?

"Hanawa Midori" The tallest one said.

"Kinjo Sara" The more commanding of the pair finally introduced herself. "We're both first year students at Toyo"

"Ah, so you're from the vicinity. Good to know"

"In actuality, we came all the way from Chiba. Your reputation in the field of Social and Human studies is not without merits, senpai" A compliment? This early? That's just bizarre "Although you might want to polish your etiquette"

Well, a backhanded one… but a compliment nonetheless.

"Yes, not everyday I find myself being observed AND stalked by random people I have never seen before"

"But we sent an E-mail to one of your juniors over a week ago!" What? Oh…

"Inari" I need some serious wok on my social skills. Living with Yagami is clearly dulling whatever progress Hinato and Ken had accomplished.

"UH, um…" You could almost smell the fear latent in Inari Masao as his fingertips tapped each other. "See? I told you two more peo—"

"It's okay, Inari" I said, while directing my eyes towards the ceiling. "We all make mistakes once or twice. So, Hanawa-san and Kinjo-san: please proceed to take a seat" I asked, in a much more serious tone.

They did so shortly after. A quick glimpse into the rows yells out a positive response to this session.

"Well, now that I notice, aside from our 2 guests, I see many new faces today. I am glad that you decided to take this complimentary class, for it will greatly aid in your development to put your knowledge into use. If you have any questions regarding any topic, please, do not hesitate to ask… My name is Hoshi Ryu, and I hope I can be of true assistance to you"

* * *

The song Ryu is trying to block while jogging is called "Cashout" by this little, teeny, tiny bar-band called Fugazi.

Well, that's Prologue for you. Hopefully, if you're a returning eye to my emporium of assorted madness(es?) you'll notice a slightly better grammar and spelling overall. Yes, I will keep the word-butchering to a minimum, just as long as you keep digging the writing. Or not? That's up to you, boys and girls.

To be honest, real life has been fairly interesting(and just as mind-boggling to booth), so keeping up with this bad boy was a little rough. Still, this one is much more planned out, so I hope updates to be much less erratic. See ya' real soon!


	2. It's Own Account

Yup, it's been almost two months. How do I work the nerve to show up around these parts after that amount of time? I'm an asshole for a living. No, I do not enjoy that label. But the overwhelming vox populi that comes with this black humor-infested hole I have for a life seems to think I am one, so I play along, just for laughs. In response to the three (obviously) deranged people that opted to comment on the prologue:

**Ominæ:** Thanks for the words. Even I thought twice about stepping inside this place once more. Your MegaTen (or, should I say Persona?) and Black Lagoon fics are killer.

**Knight25:** Put a sock in it! I mean, the nerve! Have some patience, my good fellow. Thanks for digging the prologue, though.

**Drasonz:** Calm down, man. And thanks for worrying.

There. Now stuff it and read this nightmare of a chapter. And remember:

1. " " character's dialogue**  
**2. (_italics_) line of thought a character is having.  
3. Disclaimers and other unimportant pap are down at the end. Toddles--

* * *

**Episode 01. "Tomorrow can keep its own account"**

"That's boring" It's been at least an hour since she started listening to this conversation.

"Any of you can do this!" It started to sound like a broken record, adding to her boredom.

"I know that this may seem like a burden to you, but you must think about our clan, Milady" An elder man's voice was clearly identified. "Besides, we would not dare to ask this chore to you if it wasn't such a serious issue. After all, you are one of the few who can travel between worlds without any difficulties at all"

"Ah, flattery. You know me well, Lucien" She sighed afterwards. "Well yes. I am that awe inspiring, but do you have any clues of who he, or she might be? If I'm going to be bothered to do this recruitment thing, I'm not gonna go back to earth and start waltzing around on the lookout for one simpleton whom I can't even recognize" Her smile relented after those sentences.

"Into that realm, lies what may very well be the last remaining hope for us the inhabitants of Makai's royal house. The person who carries the tradition of the house of Stars" A gentle tone was shown in the voice of an otherwise confounding scenario. "M'Lady Aensland, it is a priority that you find this person" This lad or lass seemed to be a big cheese to the current issue.

A slender, relatively short figure took the spotlight in the Center of the library of the Aensland Family. She had light green hair, matching eyes, and a full-lipped mouth.

"Once again: Fine. You have gotten my attention. Just tell me who is this person already!"

After some minor squabbles, Lucien placed a photograph in Morrigan Aensland's left hand.

"Amaterasu's legacy..." She snickered at the mention of that name.

"I think... the legacy's carrier needs a haircut. Other than that, he might be the greatest trophy yet to enter into my collection" The smile shown by the heiress after that remark triggered an anxiety parade among the elders.

"M'Lady!" Not in the less to Lord Aensland's right hand, Lucien.

"I'm being facetious, if you have not noticed" Which she quickly shrugged off in jest.

"This is no laughing matter, milady. For all we know, not only our status is threatened, but that of the entire realm as well" Another one of the elders spoke.

"That bad, huh?" She observed the portrait, trying to find something significant beneath the simple human surface "Hmm, how old is he?"

"We believe him to be within the range of two decades of existence"

"Really?" She grinned at the picture. "I hope he agrees to cooperate. People can be quite boisterous at such an early age"

"People can behave in such a manner at any age" Mudo offered his two cents.

"Dully noted" While the jab was obviously directed at her, she saw it as a minor annoyance and quickly brushed it off. "Please, inform my father that I'll be back as soon as possible"

"You only have until the end of the next solstice to accomplish this"

"Underestimating a little, aren't we? You seriously think it will take me that much time to gain over an insignificant human?" She said, while her left hand pushed some hair behind the ear.

"Remember Milady, he's not an ordinary human" Anton didn't hesitate to point what would seem obvious by now.

"You sure are uptight about this. I wonder what my father would--" Suddenly, the green haired woman couldn't speak. Many of the elders wondered silently, while watching her shocked facial expression.

"M'lady? Is everything okay?" Lucien spoke.

"I... I get it now. It will be done" She said, while looking at the ground below her, appearing much more sentient than just a few moments ago. "Lucien. Anton. Gentlemen. I'll be going now" She said, while offering a bow towards them. Shortly after, her figure appeared to sink into the floor.

"... That seemed rather brash, even for her" Mudo spoke in a rather unassuming tone "What is it Mister Lucien?" He added, this time showing concern over his fellow elder.

"Huh, nothing to worry about, Mister Mudo" He quickly dispelled any further source of concern inside the circle of elders.

'_That was, without a doubt, our majesty's doing'_ Lucien thought, while assuming a meditative pose.

"Interesting"

-------------------------------

Meguro, Tokyo. Late February.

"This is bad!" Said a young fellow.

"That's the best you can come up with? This is bad?" Another voice rebuffed the formers' sentence.

"Feel free to correct me anytime you want, red" A double comeback was slapped in the air.

"Stop calling me that" A bit of displeasure resurfaced in the second voice this time around.

"Then you stop with the pussy-footing and start running faster, damn it!" The young man expressed. His green eyes, along with the contrast in his fair skin and black hair made him stand out. It probably went right along with the fact that they were both running.

Running away would be more accurate.

"Yagami, we're not gonna make it!"

"Shut up already" Yagami Iori, the red-haired young man, quickly stressed.

Somewhere else.

A typical sound came to happen. Followed almost immediately by the unmistakable sound produced by a human grunt.

BERRIIIING!

_'Now what?...'_ A little figure wondered silently.

BERRRRIIIIING! BERRIIIING!

"Moshi moshi?" An uncomplicated tone answered the call.

"Dude!" A loud voice retorted.

"Uh, no..."

"OPEN UP!" The voice on the other side did not relent.

"Wh-what? Benny, is that y--?"

"OPEN THE DOOR NOW!" A thundering voice almost threw the young girl off-balance.

"Yagami-san? Oh, okay" The young one replied, before hanging up. While approaching the door, she noticed a strange sound. When she stared into the peephole, her face showed a strange mix of sentiments. Her all too brief gasp could only explain them so far.

She then proceeded to open the door. This ultimately proved unfortunate for her when--

THUMP!

She was almost sandwiched between the wall and the door after both Yagami Iori and Benjamin Myers violently entered the house.

"Dude! What are you doing?" Ben's outburst, and complete lack of concern for his friend's state left something to be wondered. "Close the door!"

"KYAA YAGAMI-SAN--!" That particular sound brought the attention back to the current issue to the trio.

"Shit!" Yagami exclaimed, before slamming the door shut.

A moment of relative silence was followed, before a continuous door knocking was heard.

"Yeah, not the best idea to go to Shinagawa anymore" Benjamin Myers stated. "And I just started a job there!"

"Ow" This brief recognition of ache made it onto the ears of both Yagami and Myers.

"Oh… hey there. Thanks for opening the door on time, Sakura" Like a true apologist, Ben's choice of words shone through.

"Yes, well thanks for allowing me to become closer acquaintances with the door" Kasugano Sakura said, feeling a tad less decked.

"Umm… sorry about that entrance" Iori briefly intervened with his short sentence.

"Nah, it's okay. Just try to be more careful" She said, while still holding the left side of her head. "But never-mind that. What just happened?"

"Hell broke loose" Iori said, once again attempting to keep his volume of voice low. "The vid--"

"My fair lady, shit went FULLY OFF!"

Both Iori and Sakura stared at Benjamin with a face worthy of Ripley's.

"That's not how I remember it. And don't interrupt me..." Iori paused for a moment, all while walking towards the table in the center of the living room.

"Of course, if you consider creepy high-school girls taking our pictures with their cell-phones and trying to ravage us because of our new-found status as hot-shit hopefuls, then yes: IT WAS EXCITING" He added, while throwing his hands up in the air, pretending to push an invisible wall further away, showing in truth how he just doesn't care.

"♪ Killjoy ♫" Ben's reply was unassumingly tuneful. Falsetto included and all.

"Okay... still without an answer. Why did this happen?"

"Oh, I don't know. Perhaps it has to do with the fact that Red and Homeboy Hoshi did THAT FRIGGIN' INTERVIEW?" Ben quickly went from cheerful to maniac sounding.

"Oh..." She shuddered for a bit while emitting that sound.

"Yeah. That pretty much sums up my feelings regarding this whole thing" The crimson haired fellow asserted.

"But it's only been... what, a week?" She exclaimed without losing any of the surprise factor.

"The power of the media compels you!" Ben used an eerie tone in order to strike a chord.

"BEN!" Both Sakura and Iori yelled in unison.

"Okay, I get it! Too soon" Ben backed off slowly, with both hands on the back of his head.

Sakura looked around the room for a bit, when…

"Drat!" She suddenly spouted.

"Now what?" Yagami felt as if his head was tilting.

"I'm gonna be late for my date!"

"Sucks to be you right now, then. Although I hope eventually those obsessive creeps will grow tired of our apa--"

CLACK!

At that sound, the three stood still for several seconds.

"Was… was that a window?" Sakura wondered aloud.

"God, it's worse than I imagined!" Ben sounded slightly more paranoid while saying so.

"Well, either way, I gotta go" She claimed. Just before she could proceed, a somewhat agitated D.C. kid stopped her.

"Are you insane? If those girls see you coming out of this apartment, they're gonna assume the worst!" This phrasing only proved Ben's Non-sequitur approach to thinking.

At those words, Sakura revealed a slightly devious grin.

"What's with the smile?" Ben asked.

20 Seconds later.

"GODDAMN YOU, SAKURA!" The screams could be heard loud and clear, even at a safe distance. The soon-to-be college student quickly moved away from the house she spent the night in.

After a few more seconds of continuous running, she decided to start slowing down her pace.

_'I'm not really that late'_ She thought._'Guess it's just a case of being silly old me' _

"Oi! Sakura-chan!" Suddenly a voice brought her out of her thoughts. She turned around, recognizing that voice from somewhere.

She gasped at the sole sight of the source.

"Yuki-senpai!" She cheerfully said, while running towards her.

Shortly after, they both engaged in a friendly embrace.

"I missed you so much!"

"I have missed you as well" Her cheerful smile was something Sakura could never get enough of.

"Though not as much as she expected" Sakura could recognize the source of that awful punch-line anywhere, and her almost starry-eyed joy was now eclipsed by a taut stare directed at the perpetrator of such a travesty-disguised as a joke.

"Oh, be nice for once in your life, would you?" Kushinada Yuki closed her eyes momentarily, reminding what is it that drew her near him in the first place.

"Ah, Kusanagi-san" Sakura sighed before mentioning that name.

"Just kidding. It's good to see you, Kasugano" He said, while petting her hair up a bit.

"Well, it's good to see you too, but it's not like I don't see you every other day at school" Kasugano said, feeling a bit uncomfortable with Kyo's hand on her head.

"Oh... right. School" He lazily added, while removing his hand. "I am graduating this year, so you'll be able to miss me"

"Wishful thinking" Yuki hastily retorted.

"Oh, Yuki that's just low! I did make the cut!" A whimsical tone drove Kyo's point… or so he thought.

"And what comes next, mister...? Huh?"

_'Ah, the lovebirds eternal squabble. A sight to behold'_ Sakura delved into her mind for a moment.

"You know, it's a public space" The brown-haired girl noted, somewhat worried. "Wouldn't it be bet--"

" --And another thing! I am a Kusanagi! That's right, I don't need to get a proper job"

_'And of course, they're not going to listen'_ She thought, while using the palm of her left hand to cover up her eyes.

"Last time I checked, that made you A FREELOADER!"

Kyo gasped, using his hands to cover most of his mouth right after. Sakura's jaw dropped just a little bit, while her saggy facial expression denoted nothing else on the way of emotion.

_'Stay perfectly still. If they don't see you, then you're--'_

"Sakura-chan, let's go"

_'Crap'_ Sakura thought, while biting her lower lip. As she started to walk along with Yuki, she turned her stare, only to find a paralyzed Kyo.

"Wha-- No, wait... Yuki, I'm sorry!" A still dumbfounded Kyo reacted

"Yeah, you should have thought of that before doing that little number!" Kushinada Yuki did not relent.

"Come on! I didn't mean it! I will get a job!" Both Yuki and Sakura stopped her march. Only Sakura turned around. "…Maybe not the most renowned one... but still!" He added.

"What about a higher-learning career?" With both a thunderous tone and an overpowering turn of her frame towards the young Kusanagi, Yuki surely surprised both acquaintances and strangers around her.

"Eh...! Uh, why?" Not in the least bit her boyfriend.

"Sakura's boyfriend goes to a University"

"Ugh, that guy? Again with THAT GU--?" Kyo was going to proceed with his undignified strike, when he suddenly met face to face with his girlfriend "Okay, okay! I'll consider a cram school, alright?"

The silence following Kyo's desperate plea to escape loneliness felt deep within the walls that ate away his stability of thought.

"See? Now that's how you break the wild ones" Yuki said, while showing a cheerful smile towards her friend.

"Wow... I've never knew you were capable of… such feats, Yuki-senpai" That obviously freaked Sakura out.

"Oh, don't flatter me, Sakura. Now let's go. I've been wanting to visit Hongo for quite awhile"

Kyo offered a grunting retort.

"Oh, be nice!" Yuki deftly dismissed it.

"Whatever" Kyo turned his cheek away from any further conversation… for the moment.

-------------------------------

Some 15 minutes later. Ichigaya Station.

"Yuki-senpai, where are you going?" The future Tamagawa Minami's alumna wondered aloud.

"This is our stop, right?" the light-brown haired girl inquired.

"Uh, no" Sakura raised her right brow. "Todai-mae is still three stations ahead"

"Oh... sorry about that" Yuki snickered afterwards.

"Don't worry. I committed the same mistake the first time I went there. Since the passenger cars are usually too crowded to even see the Station Names on the platform signs, I confused my stop and ended up going down in Iidabashi"

"And how did you figured it out?" After the last word of that came out, Sakura approached her face towards Yuki's ear; while at first this made her feel invaded on her personal space, when Yuki heard her former schoolmate's whispered explanation, her face contorted, showing an unpleasant expression.

"Bummer" She simply offered.

"Yeah… right up my alley" Sakura looked at her feet for a moment.

-------------------------------

Todai-mae station's Platform.

"Well, when you compare the crowds of people that get on or off on other stations, I guess you're right, Sakura-chan"

"Yeah. Todai: Isolating Bunkyo and providing Japan with social pariahs for over a solid one and a half century. Yay for Todai!" The sarcasm on the Ebony-haired young man could be practically smelled.

"Now I see why you don't graduate" Yuki's aloof stare strangely matched her sentence.

"Hey, she's the one dating the hiko!" Kyo's sentence made Sakura to develop a furrowed brow before…

"HE'S NOTHING LIKE THAT!" She quickly retorted, scaring many of the passers-by .

"He is a HIKO!" Kusanagi was only feeding fuel to the fire.

"He's not!"

"You're in denial!"

"KANCHO-LOVER!" She spouted angrily.

Kyo gasped, notoriously shocked. Sakura may have gone a bit too far with that one.

"Eh... uh" She immediately realized so.

"Sakura-chan!"

"I apologize, Yuki-senpai! I honestly didn't meant to--"

"It's okay" She said, before raising her left eyebrow a bit. "But... Kancho-lover?" She added.

"Ah, Yagami-san taught me that one"

"Ugh" Kyo's retort to the effect of hearing that name was not really anything surprising.

"Well… at least he learned a lolly-gag or two" He commented, sounding a bit less acid.

"Why do you and Yagami Iori dislike each other so much?" Her girlfriend was not alien to the perceived dislike the two young men shared for each other, but she was none the wiser regarding the why of such mutual hostility.

"Long story" And while they have yet to engage in anything serious, the background of animosity between both families was enough to ensue the pre-existent dislike between the two young men. "But we did used to... well, not to get along, but at least we could do group work with each other and stuff like that" He said, while starting to remove his jacket.

"Was that before--"

"Yeah" Kyo bluntly mumbled, all while handling Yuki his priced possession.

"Touchy subject, I suppose" Yuki knew she was treading water in such subject.

"Nah. It's okay. I just hope that, whatever may come, Yagami is able to work his way out of the mess his family left him in" Kyo looked at his now-clenched right fist.

"Well, that's nice to hear" Kushinada complimented his boyfriend on his respectful wishes.

After wandering out of the station, a particular pattern came into notice. A number of people seemed to be running towards a particular location inside of Tokyo Daigaku.

"Who-ho-hoa, I thought you said this was ghost town" Kusanagi quickly picked up that fact.

"Oh, come on! This place is usually empty on weekdays!" Sakura spurted, somewhat frustrated by what she perceived as no less than a sea of people. "Excuse me, can you tell me what's with all the commotion?" She directed herself at a random passerby.

"Uh... I-I don't know for sure, but apparently, a group of Todai students found a dead person"

"What?" The trio expressed, almost in harmony.

"Dear god, that's awful! How can such a thing happen i--" Yuki's sentence was abruptly interrupted, perhaps involuntarily, by her junior. "Ah, Sakura?"

"Why is hikko's girlfriend running?" Kyo wondered.

"Well, maybe we should find out by ourselves"

"I can never win, can I?" Kyo's serious expression was severely halved by his otherwise crabby question.

"You know what the curly man says, anything can happen" Miss Japanese sunshine jokingly offered.

Both Yuki and Kyo stepped on it. Dodging a bit of crowd is not necessarily a new thing for both, so they pushed on. After a while, they came across a very intimidating sight: A rather spread-out circle of people. When Kyo was able to catch a glimpse of the center of it.

"Oh..." Complete and mesmerizing silence. His eyes widened, leaving his eyelids almost completely eclipsed. His posture was stiff.

"What is it, Kyo?" His girlfriend asked, somewhat worried after seeing him in such a state. Getting no response at all, she decided to push her way further into the mob. A fine dozen of seconds later.

"Oh. My…" she exclaimed, her breath barely allowing the words out. At the eye of the storm, a young man was laid on the ground. A group of 5 people surrounded him, apparently looking for clues. The one crouching before the corpse was none other than Faculty of Letters' premier student.

"Ho...Hoshi-senpai... is he, um, you know--"

"Yes" Hoshi Ryu did not know what to make of such a strange event. On what it seemed like an ordinary trip to retrieve some documents for his Occidental Ethical Thoughts class, a report from the guard's office took the young man into a rather bizarre finding.

"You mean he--?"

"The smile plastered on his cold face should be a pretty good giveaway, Masao" A female student replied, sounding a bit uncomfortable.

"Nora, please mind your tongue" He finally constructed a sentence beyond a single word. "We're still in the presence of a departed" He extended.

"Ry—Ryu-senpai! A man passing in such a manner does not evoke any respect to him!" She didn't understood the calm Ryu was showing while around a corpse.

"Well, any attempt of wisecrack will certainly not bring him back to life. So please, allow him some respect" The auburn haired raised the gravity of his voice a bit.

"I... I understand, Ryu-senpai" She bowed her head.

"Inari-san"

"Yes?" Hoshi's go-to kohai answered.

"Please contact the guards, we've confirmed the identity and got a preliminary cause of death of the person they reported" Ryu requested, in a much more polite light.

"Got it" He agreed to take his orders.

"Nora, Kinjo-san, would you please deal with this crowd that's been pestering us?"

"Yes!" They both complied at once.

After giving assignments to his improvised team, Ryu reached the back of his neck with his left hand. Rubbing it gently, he realized all the tension he had accumulated, and how little sleep in the past days he has gotten. For him, this is just the cherry on top.

"A-a-ano Hoshi-senpai…" A dim voice resounded behind him.

"Hn?" He took his time to turn his stare towards the source.

"What am I supposed to do?" A frail-looking boy asked him.

"Eh? Oh! Right, I forgot. Please tell Inari to remind the guards they'll be needing the means necessary to carry this man to the morgue. They also need to contact the family" He sighed, before looking at the fore mentioned man once more. His kohai was already on the march when-- "And Yugo…"

"Yes?" Amamori Yugo halted his march.

"Go home and take some rest. Tell everyone else to do so as well" The auburn haired-suggested, while offering a discrete thumbs up with his right hand.

"Will do, senpai" The boy complied.

"Thank you" Ryu finally sat on the ground, feeling his knees and shins a bit strained from all the time spent in such an awkward position.

_'It's honestly befuddling when such a death embraces you... but there must be something else to this' _ He thought, before…

"Ryu..." A voice, more resembling of a whisper, called him from behind. When Ryu turned his stare, a little sparkle illuminated his eyes.

"Ah, min sötnos flicka'" Before he could say anything else, the person proceeded to hug him.

"Are you okay?" Kasugano Sakura asked in a very endearing manner.

"I am now..." His tired expression was, if only for a moment, dispelled.

"Suddenly I feel very sick" Kyo observed from a distance.

"Oh, stop it, would you? At least he knows how to take the sour with th--" Yuki was about to pepper her speech when—

"Please refrain from ending that sentence" Kyo felt the sudden need to use his hands to create a zip effect around his girlfriend's mouth.

The subsequent muffling sounds created by Yuki were not so pleasant, but somehow--

"HEY! You're not the boss of me!" Kusanagi managed to understand beyond the grunts and muffs.

"Are you Hoshi Ryu?" Meanwhile, a group of men had made their way nears the other couple. Ryu quickly stood up... with Sakura still clinging to his neck.

"Yes" Hoshi gave a slight nod in joint with his answer.

"We're from the Todai security enforcement. We're deeply sorry for the delays and the subsequent toll that this recon might had on you and your underclassmen"

"We wanted to confirm if the rumored person was indeed a Tokyo Daigaku attendant before this whole thing could get out of our doors. We appreciate your co-operation, Hoshi-san"

"I see. Well, I hope you do not mind, but I have a schedule to keep, so, if you would excuse me..."

"Of course, please take care of yourself, Hoshi--"

"YOU'RE RYU HOSHI?" A loud, mid pitched voice yelled at the very mention

_'Yes ears, that is the sound of redundancy'_ He had started to miss when people did not recognized him.

"I am" He dryly answered.

"Can I interview you?"

A long, awkward silence ensued. In front of Ryu and Sakura stood a blond-haired woman, standing somewhere near Ryu's height.

"I'm sorry…" He said after said interim, clearing his throat shortly after.

"Hmph, that's better… okay: what?" Ryu's mild-mannered outburst was not without reason.

* * *

**Disclaimer:** Capcom is the owner of everything Street Fighter, DarkStalkers and Rival Schools. SNK/Playmore owns everything KOF-related. I still wrote this fanfic, so please let me know in advance if you plan to rip something off this story, 'kay? I'll say yes right away. I'm a pandering slut, remember? See you later, and thanks for all the fish. 


	3. Burning Bridges

Nothing interesting to say. Things have been weird (and fairly busy, which is good) lately. Make of that what you will. Disclaimer and such at the bottom. And in advance, thanks for wasting 5 precious minutes of your time reading this new chapter. Remember the interview mentioned in chapter 1? Well...

* * *

**Chapter 02: "The Art of Burning Bridges"  
**

Mid-February

This place gives the impression of a love hotel more than a karaoke bar. Sure, the room is clean and all, but the table seems barely attached to the floor, and the television looks a bit broken; no doubt the work of some vandal with nothing better to do.

... I really should refrain from thinking in such manner. I'd start sounding like an old man. All of a sudden, the door produces a slight creaking.

"Who are you?" Asks the taller of the two, as they enter the room. Although the question seemed rather brash, the pacing used was mostly calm. His look immediately calls for attention. Especially the Red hair.

"Reimiwara, Reimiwara Chishiki" I said, while welcoming them both. "NHK world" I added, although I could assume that they already knew which station I was representing.

"We apologize for being late" Said the other one. He seemed to have a more old school Japanese raising, since they were only some 5, 6 minutes late. "Kichijoji is somewhat chaotic right now" He extended.

"Right. Okay, just let me set the recorder... would you mind?" I said while gesturing towards a couple of seats. "It is ready now. Remember, English only. Shall we start?"

They both nodded silently. Shortly before I pushed the recording button...

"Hmmm... would you mind a question off the record?" The soft-spoken one asked.

"Sure"

"When is this going to be broadcasted?"

"Oh, hmmm... It's going to be broadcasted in its entirety on the Wednesday of next week. The interview as a stand-alone will be available shortly after on our website. If you want to, we can send you a copy before broadcast"

"Thank you" Once again, his humble way of delivery shows throughout.

"You are welcome" I respond, trying to conceal the fact that I'm incredibly nervous. Okay, get it together Reimiwara! How is the info you gathered on this band for the last months? Still all up there?

Attempting to buy some time, and quickly catching on to the fact that I need to set the camera straight in order to manage it better, I go through what I know one more time...

Nervous is an understatement. This is my first interview to be broadcasted outside of the Tokyo area. All on my own. To add up to it, most of the people attempting to fetch a story on this band had been unsuccessful so far.

Okay, here it comes.

They seemingly turn media attention and publicity away. In the past 2 years and a half since they supposedly organized their first show on a Meguro venue, they have not conducted interviews so far. Most of the information known about this band has been gathered mostly by doing it the hard way: Going to the concerts myself, searching in another media, and even word of mouth. Getting their records proved to be a very engaging chore. It didn't help that the albums' liner notes did not include concrete names.

You could say this band is every old-school news reporter's average affair.

But there's one thing widely known about this band. Since last year's summer, they have come to dominate the spotlight in the underground scene of Japan. After giving an incredibly energetic guerrilla performance inside of the Harajuku Station passenger's platform, they were hailed as a breath of fresh air on Japan's underground music scene. And while their set attracted a lot of curious bystanders, it also summoned a large number of authorities. Since I wasn't able to make it all those months ago, I can only imagine the devil of a bottleneck that such a thing caused.

But that is merely the tip of the iceberg. Mainstream bands have name-dropped them in several occasions. Of course, rumors have spread faster than that.

It's rumored that they don't play less than 8 shows a month, and have called the attention of every single major label here. But the mystery surrounding its members has not gone anywhere. Luckily enough, I recently stumbled upon an E-mail. Along with this electronic hint, a link to a download of one of their early performances was embedded as well, and from there... well, you get the picture. I hope that today I can cast some of that mystery aside.

I finally set the damn delay time on the camera just right. Wait for it. 5, 4, 3--

"So--" When I flick both the record and play button of my old tape recorder, a vague feeling of eagerness engulfs me. Only then, I approach the microphone towards my mouth...

"Well, good day to you. Today is a very special occasion for Music Matters, as this week our featured special guests are none other than Larvæ. As you more or less know, except for names to some of their songs and the already cult-like following they have garnered both nationwide and abroad, not much is known about them. So, in hopes of being able to harness a few more useful facts about them, let's start this interview"

I finally took a rest, followed by a little sigh.

"So, would you please introduce yourselves?" I said, before directing the mike towards the one who appeared to be the more out-going of the two.

"Yagami, Iori Yagami. I play bass guitar and also sing for Larvae"

"And... you?" I think I overdid it with the elongated syllable. Man, I hope I don't screw this up.

"Hoshi, Ryu" He said, while rearing his head a bit away from the mike. "I play both guitar and viola for Larvae. I also occasionally provide backing vocals"

"Who else is in this band, not currently present?"

"Oh. Both our drummer and the other guitar player are not here" He speaks with a good volume, as if he had been rehearsing this interview somehow. Maybe this is not the first time he's put through the trial horse. "Benjamin Myers is the other guitarist, and Boom, our drummer, has both been a friend and band-mate of mine for quite a while" He continues.

"So, Larvæ is not your first band?" This question is something of a stopgap, although now I'm honestly interested in knowing a bit more about this band, past musical endeavors included.

"No, it isn't" He says, apparently shutting off my attempt of getting more background on them. Fortunately for me, a little hope was restored when I realized that his hands reached for the pocket on the front of his jacket. He pulled a cigarette and a lighter. After slowly lighting his cylinder-shaped tobacco, he proceeded to take a rather brief taste, letting a small cloud of smoke off his mouth towards his left afterwards.

"Uh, sorry about that. As I was saying, my first band was a, uhm, Metal band called Purple Crescent. Fans of that band still occasionally pester me. You know, die-hard Metalheads" His deadpan tone is notorious. "Not that I'm not proud of what I achieved in that band. I guess both me and Boom are just trying to move on"

"This spectrum of music is certainly still noticeable in a good number of your songs, though" Slightly dominant sounds more like it… but nevermind that.

"Of course. People close to me know that I'm a sucker for metal. It's just that trying to maintain the sound I did in said band was turning to be a rather monotonous task. Also, personality-wise we were not hitting it off, either"

"So things didn't end in a good note?"

"Well, you could say that. Then again, I don't like to focus on what I already did" A simple answer and an annoyed stare served as the perfect match. Okay, steering away from it.

"Well then... moving on, I guess" That awkward pause felt somewhat unnecessary, but it seemed as if I was treading in a somewhat delicate subject. I had to think in a good question. And fast.

"So, uh, besides both you and the drummer, anyone else has been in a previous project?"

"Ah, yeah. Ben was in a band called The Mirth, and he's been a session musician since he was 9 or so"

"Oh. A lot of experience"

"Yeah, I guess"

"And what about you, Hoshi?" He appeared to not feel very comfortable as a subject of this interview.

"Hmm... well, Larvæ is my first band, and I have been playing both guitar and viola only since then. It is kind of embarrassing, taking into account the sum of my band-mates' experience" He comments with a fair volume, with a hint of self-deprecation thrown in for good measure.

"That's irrelevant" Iori interrupted once more. "A good input is always welcome, regardless the experience" His laid-back and unchallenging tone abruptly changed to rather defensive without much effort.

Realizing that I needed to take advantage of such a rare opportunity, I decided to play along a little.

"So, bringing a 'newcomer' to the fold was something out of necessity?" The emphasis I put on Ryu's status on the band almost put a spark in Iori's visible eye.

"Yeah, pretty much. Besides, if it wasn't for him I wouldn't have realized how much I wanted to part ways with Purple Crescent. As you pointed it out, the heavier end of my influences still remains, but I wanted to steer my attention towards a different sound. You know, something that doesn't have dead end written all over" He answers, with a seemingly unbreakable confidence.

"Wow. Seems you have a rather good role in Larvæ, huh Ryu? Is it okay if I call you Ryu?"

"Yes, please do. And, well, I feel lucky that my input is accepted by the other members as much as it is. I mean, at the beginning, it was just music I enjoyed listening to, but then I realized that, when Iori asked me to join the band, I actually wanted to do something out of what I heard in the music that I like. That which moves me. Mostly because I was none the wiser when it came to actually playing music"

"Speaking of your tastes and the influence they have on your input, which ones do you consider play a heavy role on Larvæ?"

"OH, umm. Hmmm... I guess the first two bands that really surprised me were The Melvins and Fugazi. I mean, I like a lot of heavy music as well. But I remember listening to the Melvins, and I felt very strange. It was a band that used a very manic approach to their music. This feeling of constant urgency, even in the slower songs..." He sighed a little afterwards. He does not seem to be much of a talker, but he looks like he's genuinely enjoying to talk about his influences.

"And, as for Fugazi... well, we do play 'Merchandise' on occasion, so it's plain to see we're ripping them off" After that last sentence, Iori allowed a rather memorable chuckle out, as they exchanged looks. "Nah, just kidding. Fugazi is to me the first band that I thought of when I first joined the band because, at the beginning, we had to constantly annoy people so they would allow us to play, even when Iori had already something of a reputation in the local scene. Also, they have a very strong, almost overpowering approach to everything they do, whether it's music, their ethics, you know, that whole thing"

"Also, when we began, I had to play a double role in the band, which was keeping with the rhythm section, and at the same time trying to track Ryu's direction, all done WHILE singing."

"Well, that brings another interesting question: Iori, you sing both in Japanese and English, although never in the same song, which is uncommon here in Japan. How do you decide when to sing in which language?"

"We seldom decide that. Usually whatever works better for a particular song. But I dislike to pepper random phrases of a second language. I think that's just, um I don't know, lame? We also have a song that's sung in Spanish. It's called Revuelta"

"Revuelta?" Just the sound of the song's name sounds fierce.

"Yeah, it means riot or something along those lines" Iori speaks, finally revealing a hint of doubt on his words.

"Do you speak Spanish?"

"Not really. Ryu does though, and according to many people, he does it rather well. Accent and all. The whole thing that excites me about that particular song is that, although I wrote the words and some of the music, it is the first song in which Ryu had a mayor input while the song was being created. He added a guitar that felt completely alien to what I had in mind. But it worked well for the song"

"But how come it's sung in Spanish, if Ryu doesn't sing in the song?"

"That was actually the hardest part for the song. When we, uh, started working on the lyrics, I had already finished them, but when I pitched Ryu the idea of translating and then singing the whole thing in Spanish, he was a little skeptic. He felt it wouldn't work the same, and he was right at the start. Most of the lyrics became very intricate, and I felt like I was bad-mouthing someone just by repeating the translated lyrics" He let out a little sigh, probably to catch a little breath.

"And then?" Damn it, I am starting to sound like your average fan-boy.

"Well, when the time came to hit the studio, we started working on the recording logistics; then out of the blue, Ryu asked me for the notebook where I kept this particular song's lyrics, and since he goes to college, I was on the damn studio, bumming about the whole day. A day later, with the drum tracks for the song nailed down, Ryu came and gave me the translated lyrics written in a piece of cardboard; he taught me how to do a normal sounding accent while singing in Spanish and also gave me an idea of how to correctly translate lyrics into something with much more sense. Afterwards, we spent like two hours practicing the song until it came natural. The instrumental tracks were recorded in 3 hours and I recorded the vocals in two, three takes a few days later. Now I'm trying to learn how to speak and read Spanish correctly... although it is one hard language to decipher"

"Wow. Well that's a really cool story for a song" I stop for a bit when I realize the microphone is further away from my mouth than normal. "Another thing that I wanted to ask you about is: How has this rather abnormal phenomenon surrounding your band affected you?"

"Well, this band is kind of my only serious venture right now, so it's not as draining for me" Iori kept a rather low profile on that answer.

"Besides, we enjoy doing this" Ryu followed his band-mate's remark rather quickly. "So really the only effect this whole thing could have on us is positive" His additional words felt like the dead-on description of a review.

"Well yeah, but what I meant is, uh..." I was losing my train of thought. Then I quickly remembered: The newspaper! "I'm sorry, what I mean is, for example: In a recent interview, this band right here--" My sentence was interrupted, probably without any ill intention, by both of their muffled chuckles.

"Oh, the Prophet!" Iori said, while attempting to maintain a straight face. "What did he said?" He asked, while working towards a more serious tone.

"That you were destined to storm the mainstream while taking the path of most anarchist nature" Following an almost exact quote that I had memorized previous to this interview, I witnessed a rather strange reaction. While Ryu revealed a discreet grin followed by a brief sigh, Iori allowed a rather loud guffaw off his mouth.

"He said THAT?" Iori could barely hold his chuckles while asking.

"Yes" I dryly answered.

"Ah, those guys crack me up" Barely holding what little breath he had left after that loud chuckle.

"So you're not much of a fan of them?"

"Well, we've met with those guys while on tour. One of them even gave me one of his guitars, but right after we started playing our set, he realized I wasn't gonna be able to use it" Ryu said, while making a guitar playing motion, bringing to note the fact that he's left-handed. "I still have the guitar, and now I'm able to use it on stage, thanks to his Guitar Tech"

"We think they're good musicians" Iori quickly jumped at what it almost seemed like a conversation. "And their live show is cool, but it is hard for me to take them seriously at face-value. I mean, this guy pummels himself while on stage... to believe such thing is groundbreaking is typical of a Japanese 'rebel'. But you know, whatever floats your boat" The red-haired seemed poignant in his delivery.

"We admit it. We're fans of the cosplay part..." Iori continued, while snickering once again. Ryu shortly complied, albeit in a more discreet manner. "I don't know. Then again, I don't mind having a widely known band speaking well about us, so it's a win-win situation"

"Other band that has made a public statement about your band was Sonzai Records' prodigal sons" Having tid-bits of information suddenly re-appearing is not a good sign, but I try to work it in the best possible way.

"Really?" Ryu asked.

"Well, yes. In an interview with NME, the guys spoke of their favorite bands, and you were among those. But that is hardly anything new within the Japanese scene. How did you guys managed to establish a relationship with such an important band right out of the bat?"

"Oh, most of that is due to Iori's former band" Ryu said, while pointing towards his band-mate.

"One thing that I have always enjoyed, ever since my early days in Purple Crescent was doing instrumental tracks. It was not uncommon that most of the songs I got to record with Purple started off as that. I seldom cared about lyrics, but the other guys always pushed me towards a more friendly sound, so to speak. But nowadays I can honestly relate to my lyrics a bit better" He stops for a bit before reaching for another smoke. He takes his time, before letting the gray cloud out of his mouth.

"...And it's mostly because of them. Mister Fukagawa's band has been a big influence to this band, especially to me. They demonstrate that you can still be heavy without relying on gimmicks, or that you can have something meaningful to say without running your mouth. But your question about the relationship with them and how we went on tour came out as simple as this: Back when Purple Crescent was just barely hoping to make it, we had the rather odd chance to open for them. When they first heard us, they thought we were this typical pre-pubescent band of wannabes, but when they saw us perform live... well, I guess our set did it for them" He flails his cigarette for a brief second while saying those last words.

"That's a great story!"

"Yeah, something to tell your children about, I'm sure" Straight ans-- wait, was that a quip?

"Oh, be nice Yagami" Ryu playfully mocks a chastising.

"Nah. Just kidding. It's been good to have people like Fukagawa to chat with while on tour, though. I am very grateful with all the support they provided us in that particular one"

"Now that you brought up the touring thing: Something that calls up for attention is that you rarely perform in the Tokyo Area. Why's that?"

"I never gave that much thought at first, because all I ever wanted to do is to get the hell out of Meguro and Shibuya. But after three or four months I realized that, albeit smaller, the music scenes outside of Tokyo are extremely enthusiastic. Most of the music you'd listen in said places is a far cry from what people usually listen to here, as well"

"It's true. When we first went to Niigata, we thought that, tops, there were going to be no more than forty kids on the venue" Ryu intervened, while he and Iori exchanged a stare.

"We were like this--" Both Iori and Ryu dropped their jaws in pretend awe, a rather comical sight, for a brief second. "--when we realized that the venue was completely sold out. We're talking about a thousand tickets, gone in less than 2 weeks, and we had only been together for about 4 months when that happened. I find it funny nowadays, mostly because when we first formed, I invited my former band-mates to the first rehearsal, so they could tell me what did they thought, and... well, they told me that we sucked and that we were going to crash and burn. Flat out" Iori expanded, sounding a bit cynical when referring to his former band-mates.

"That sounds a bit harsh, coming from the people who were your friends" I offer.

"Yes. But then again, who gives a shit? It was kinda imbecilic when I think of it, because they were actually very hostile not so much with me and Boom, but towards Ryu... you know, the whole guitarist thing"

"Jealousy?"

"Well, after I sent them a demo with Ryu's parts on guitar, it became so. They thought I had hired somebody to replace Ryu and I was doing it to spite them... but whatever"

"Right. So... a very interesting aspect of your band is that you have attracted all this frenzy around you, and seemingly without any outside help. How do you explain that?"

"That's a DIY staple" He laid down a very fast answer.

"A what?" Almost too fast for me to understand at first.

"DIY. You know, Do It Yourself"

"Oh, right. Sorry" To be schooled in such a well-known acronym is kinda pitiful.

"No problem. The thing that worried me a lot when I started in my previous band was that, since we were a fairly polarizing kind of band, we had to do most of our gigs a la pay-to-play and, as you know, playing in the Wards, specifically around Shibuya, is very expensive... but it paid off. Yet, it kind of left us feeling hopeless"

"But you were very young, weren't you?"

"Well, yes. But still, when you're on your own, no one's there to remind you that you need this or that. One of the reasons I think we all click so well in this band is because, even though we're so different regarding pretty much everything, we all come from backgrounds where you need a strong working ethic... I need to work 3 or 4 days a week to support myself, add to that some of the jobs that occasionally pop up, plus rehearsing and all that stuff. Ryu's been working since he started high school, and now he has to work to cover his college scholarship. Boom and Benny are a little better off right now, as both of them are musicians full time and sometimes do session work, but it's not always easy, especially since we're all barely scratching the 20 year-old mark. So even when I really love this band, it is still a pain in the ass" We all chuckle a bit.

"Working class hero"

"Yup. I hate that label, but only because it becomes me" I can help but to let a little scoff after he finishes that rather quirky sentence.

"Right. So, a final couple of questions..." Damn it! Where's that last question card? "Oh, this is something I got from the e-mail someone sent me: The National Cherry Blossom Fest over at the United States, is it true?"

"Yes. Monkashou gave us the great opportunity to do that" Ryu covered the bases for that rather quickly.

"It'll be our first time playing abroad, it's quite intimidating actually. The prospect of playing on a foreign country"

"That sounds a bit off coming from the same band responsible for the great bottleneck of last year"

"Oh. That" Even while covering most of his upper face in apparent embarrassment, Ryu could not hide his smile that such a memory probably brought.

"Our little time under the limelight--" Iori demonstrated a much more cynical side.

"And we looked like a bunch of homeless people. It was fun, though. Good times" Iori quickly switched to a much more gentle tone. "You know, until they shut us down right before finishing the last song. They even threatened to hand-cuff me"

"Really?"

"Quite crazy, I know! But that's just the tip of the iceberg. A week after the Harajuku thing we played in Mizuho, and the owner of the venue oversold so many damn tickets that we had to play that night and the following. Of course, we got paid twice as much. Ever since then, there's also at least a different A&R person stalking us every week" Yagami speaks a bit more relaxed.

"Wow, that's... kinda creepy. Just hearing about that made me curious about this, which I should have asked earlier on, by the way"

"Okay" Ryu gently obliged.

"Given your popularity, have you guys considered signing to any major label?"

"Not really. I mean, yeah, with the cash we could get from a major it'd be much more easier to consider doing this full time, but from the perspective I've gained throughout the years of doing this, shall we say, balancing act, it would be similar to... say, taking the path of least resistance. But I really don't know, so I'm not gonna lie to you. I--I don't know. Honestly" The red-haired bass player threw his hands for a short instant there.

"Well, it's a tough one, I guess"

"Right now, even with all the things Iori mentioned we do to keep this going, we ARE still able to sort things out mostly by ourselves. I guess right now, this huge 'fear' we have from signing is that, suddenly, things start to go out of our hands" Ryu does a little pause to clear his throat. "For example, right now, we are in the final stages of editing a Live recording kind of thing--"

"A DVD? A live LP?"

"The former, yeah. Well, we're preparing a new studio recording as well. But I digress. Believe me, crazy as it sounds, it's completely self-financed: Just as 'The Valley' E.P. and 'Grueling Tenements' were. So, it's a bit tiring, yeah, but it's also very rewarding"

"Sounds like something to be really proud of, I'm sure. So, lastly here, there is this question I do to every person I interview"

"Okay"

"Go ahead" They both consented almost at the same time.

"Well, taking into account the last questions and tidbits of DIY, it might be a little strange to ask you guys this, but here it goes... As a whole, what do you think about the overall culture of Japan?"

They both stared at me for a couple of seconds. This is the most awkward response I've had to this question.

"Well, that's a very broad question" Ryu answered, allowing a little air off his lungs. "From my experience, we are very competitive as a society, sometimes frighteningly so. From a different angle though, this becomes akin to being considered something of a nut-job. No, there's nothing wrong with a society that favors and stimulates a competitive behavior, but still, when you see the number of down-right disturbing events that happen right here in our backyard, so to speak, it is troubling to be perceived as a bunch of walking neuroses waiting to happen. So, while I love living in Japan, sometimes I feel we have a long way to go when it comes to our society as a whole" Ryu's tone was one of incredible seriousness. Probably the most uncertain answer he has given me.

"Oh, and he's not saying all that just because we're a bunch of bitter burn-outs" Iori's sentence once again brought out that incredibly sharp sense of humor that seems to characterize this band.

"No, but seriously. I mean, this is... crazy. People kill themselves for unimportant shit like failed school entrance exams, or debts, or because some scrote of a person told them off to their romantic advances. Yes, I know this happens in some other countries as well, but here? It's used to save face. Just because finding ways to vent one's frustrations is often frowned upon. It's... idiotic." Yagami's extended answer also seemed rife with criticism.

"And look, I'm not pandering to an occidental set of traditions. But there's also the flip side of the coin. The never-ending parade of fetishes we chicken-dance around like a honor badge... That shit is INFURIATING" He put an emphasis in every single word.

"You mean like...?"

"Yeah-- I mean, for example-- Since when treating women like cum-dumpsters was the IN thing to do? These aren't the middle ages. It's the 21st century, and we're not a bunch of fucking zealots. Yes, we're a bit old school, but if we can be so progressive on many subjects, why can't we all act in a more harmonious manner?"

There was a sudden silence. Ryu looked at Iori with one eye closed, completely bemused.

"... Yes, I know. I am no Mister Sunshine Lollipop the 2nd" Ryu scoffs briefly, revealing a very sobering smile.

"It's a nice dream, though" I add.

"Well, wasn't that what Reverend Gherkin would have wanted?"

"Yes. Harmony" The red haired looks at the ceiling for a moment, as if Ryu's question contained an answer. "So, to answer your question, we don't know jack about Japanese Culture"

"Ha!" I briefly chortle, basking in what is probably the best interview I'll do in the whole year. "Well, you had me fooled for a minute there"

--

After exchanging electronic addresses and a bit more of meandering babble, we left the karaoke in more than high spirits.

"Well thanks you guys, for the interview"

"You're welcome"

"Just don't go around telling people stories" Iori intervened, while reaching for the third nicotine fix.

"I won't. I must say, though: both of your English skills were top notch"

"That's what happens when an American stays at your place for extended periods of time"

"Oh, you mean the nut-case we call our guitarist?" He utters before lighting his cigarette up.

"So where are you heading now?"

"South, to bring the heaviness home"

"Well, I hope to see you guys around"

"Take care"

While watching my most recent interviewees go on about their business, I notice the sun is just barely there. My backpack feels heavy: Having to pull double duty is never an easy task. However, this interview has been one of the most interesting ones I've had since I started on this business.

Something strikes me as odd, though. Why were they so nice and open all of a sudden? I mean, wasn't their anonymity one of the things that distinguished them? Something seemed to drive them towards this.

"Excuse me..." A fragile voice came from behind. In English, to be precise.

"What is it?" I am a bit reluctant to keep on speaking English right now, but by the mere looks, she seems to be a foreigner. Fine, I'll play along.

"You are from NHK, right?" The logo on the side of my Jacket must be on fire.

"I am indeed..."

"Please! You must hurry!" She pulled my hand before even finishing that sentence. I barely had time to react.

"Oi! Hey!" I couldn't help it. I felt completely befuddled by her actions. "What's happening?"

When I think about it, I should've just kept my mouth shut.

* * *

Miscellaneous. You know the drill. Iori belongs to SNK/Playmore. Ryu belongs to CAPCOM. Chishiki Reimiwara (the reporter who narrated this chapter), Ben Myers and Toru "Boom" Akagi are all original characters. This story belongs to -- you know what? Feel free to plagiarize it. Nobody gives a shit. If you are a humble thief though, just let me know in advance. Okay?

I'll try (the operative word being try) to update more often.

Cheers.


End file.
